1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cookware. In particular, the invention is directed to improvements in baking tray design.
2. Description of Prior Art
Baking is a well known and commonly used cooking process. Whether in domestic or commercial situations, the baking process usually involves placing the articles to be baked upon a shallow tray which is then placed in an oven and heated to the required level for the required period of time. Once baked, the tray is removed from the oven and the articles are transferred to an elevated wire tray or perforated platform such that the baked articles can cool. The cooling rack is raised and perforated in order to allow the air to circulate around the article to promote quick and even cooling.
Immediately after being removed from the oven, baked articles are generally much softer than they are once they have cooled. Therefore the transfer of the baked articles from the baking tray to the cooling rack can often result in damage to the articles as even careful handling can affect the shape and appearance of an article. Furthermore, excess handling of the baked articles has associated hygiene risks.
In an attempt to overcome this, it is known to provide baking trays or pie tins having perforated inner trays which are designed to be removable from the rest of the baking tray or pie tin. When the pie or other baked article is removed from the oven, it is lifted out of the pie tin using the inner trays so that it does not need to be transferred to a separate tray for cooling. Unfortunately, the baked article can tend to stick to the pie tin through the perforations in the tray. As both hands are required to gently lift the tray, it is often awkward to then ease the pie tin away from the bottom of the tray.
This problem has been addressed to some extent by baking tray arrangements having an apertured inner and outer trays which may be moved relative to each other such that the apertures in both trays align to become cooling holes. However, as the trays must be able to slide over each other, the lower tray cannot be profiled to mate with the apertures of the upper tray in order to provide a flat baking surface. Accordingly, the underside of the baked articles will have an uneven appearance.
Furthermore, this arrangement still places the baked articles at risk of damage as the bottom of the articles are subject to significant shearing forces if they have stuck to both the upper and lower trays during the baking process. In the process of sliding the trays relative to one another to align the cooling holes, the portion of the baked article that is stuck to the lower tray may be sheared off as the upper tray slides over it.
To overcome this, baking trays having complex hinged lever arrangements have been developed to lift the apertured cooling tray directly up from the lowered position. As the cooling tray does not slide laterally relative to the lower tray, the lower tray may have raised areas corresponding to the apertures of the upper tray so that the baking surface provided is substantially flat. However, this type of baking tray design is relatively complex to manufacture, and therefore, ultimately, more expensive than other arrangements. Furthermore, the hinge mechanisms make the trays more difficult to clean as they tend to trap dirt, crumbs and other residues.
The present invention aims to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art or at least provide a useful alternative.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a tray assembly for use as a baking tray, said tray assembly including:
a base tray having a generally planar base;
cooling tray having a generally planar surface for receiving at least one article to be baked, the generally planar surface having a plurality of apertures and being adapted to seat on the generally planar base; and
elevation means disposed between the base and the cooling trays for sliding engagement therewith, said elevation means being slidable between a first position wherein the cooling tray is seated on the base tray, and a second position wherein the cooling tray is lifted a predetermined distance from the base tray to allow air circulation through the apertures to cool the or each article.
In a preferred embodiment, the generally planar base includes raised portions corresponding to the apertures wherein the upper surface of the raised portions are flush with the generally planar surface when the cooling tray is seated on the base.
The base tray may have a raised peripheral edge to prevent the or each articles from sliding off the surface when the cooling tray is seated on the base. Preferably, the elevation means is adapted to lift the cooling tray to a distance above the raised peripheral edge of the base tray.
In one embodiment, the base and cooling trays are rectangular and the elevation means includes four manually slidable members disposed within the base tray such that a pair of the slidable members are positioned adjacent a first side of the base and the other pair of slidable members positioned adjacent the opposite side of the base, each of the slidable members having an inclined surface which coacts with inclined profiles formed on two opposing sides of the cooling tray such that the cooling tray is lifted when the slidable members of each pair are manually slid towards each other. The tray assembly may be provided with a slide track means for directional stability when the slidable members are moved towards or away from each other. The slide track means may be a ridge or flange formed on the slidable members which extends into respective grooves provided on the base tray. Conveniently the slidable members are each provided with a protruding handle which extend through a slot in the side of the base tray such that the respective handles may be drawn together with a thumb and forefinger. The slidable members may also be provided with retaining means to retain them in the second position.
According to another preferred form the base and cooling trays are rectangular and the elevation means includes two manually slidable members disposed within the base tray such that one of the slidable members is positioned adjacent the first side of the base and the other slidable member is positioned adjacent the other side of the base, each slidable member having a profile which coacts with a corresponding profile formed on the cooling tray such that the cooling tray is lifted a predetermined distance when the slidable members are slidably rotated between the first position and the second position.
Other preferred forms of the baking tray assembly include a cover adapted to fit over the or each article to be baked. In a preferred form, the cover includes an array of air holes. Such an arrangement would allow xe2x80x9cblind bakingxe2x80x9d which is a term used in this field to describe the process of baking without browning of the baked articles.
In some forms, the baking tray assembly may further include stacking means to allow a plurality of the tray assemblies to be vertically stacked on each other such that baked articles on each of the assemblies may be baked simultaneously. In one form, the tray assembly includes stacking struts and the base tray includes recesses for positioning and stabilizing the struts.
In some preferred embodiments the elevation means is a pair of elongate members bent into a generally u-shaped configuration no wider than the base tray so that the u-shaped members can lie flat on the base tray with their respective legs extending towards each other;
the free end of both legs, of each u-shaped member, have a raised arcuate portion extending upwardly when the u-shaped members lie flat on the base tray;
the cooling tray having a pair of raised flanges on two opposing sides, the raised flanges in each pair being spaced apart so that when the u-shaped members are in the first position where they are retracted and relatively close to each other, the cooling tray is seated on the base; and,
when the u-shaped members are pulled away from each other into the second position, the raised flanges ride up on the arcuate portions to lift the cooling tray a predetermined distance from the base to allow air circulation through the apertures to cool the or each article.
In these forms, it is preferable that the ends of the u-shaped members have stop means to abut the raised flanges when the u-shaped members reach the second position.